kingdomdressing | Between the lines of fear and blame (spoilers)

[There's a Terra trekking through one of the Dressing Room hallways. A passerby wouldn't have to be too observant to notice that the wide-eyed, slack-jawed, and all-around bewildered expression on his face pretty much reads "new arrival". He might as well have a flashing arrow hanging over his head, pointing out just how new to this place he is. He doesn't seem all that intimidated by the abrupt change in his surroundings or by the many doubles wandering around, though: as far as he's concerned, this is a dream. It has to be a dream, right? That's the only explanation that makes any sense.

Even if, with the initial adrenaline rush tapering off, he still feels as tired- no, as mentally and physically exhausted as he had moments before he'd found himself in this dream world, even if it had hurt when he'd caught the edge of his shoe on the floor, tripped, and hit the wall with his shoulder earlier, even if his shoulder still aches now, this has to be a dream. It has to be.

Rubbing at his arm again, he stops to lean against a closed door. He slumps against it, letting his heavy eyelids shut for just a second or two. It is about then that the door gives way, swinging out from under his weight. Terra's deposited none too gracefully onto the cold ground inside the room. He can't help the startled shout and gasp that escapes his throat as he lands on his sore shoulder.

He stays down at first, working to get the air back into his lungs, as well as to will away the pain. He won't waste precious energy summoning his Keyblade to Cure spell something as minor as a bruise. Terra lifts his head a moment later only to notice the dimly lit path that snakes out ahead of him. Darkness surrounds the path on both sides. Strange formations decorated by glowing blue streaks jut out of the shadows. He all but scrambles to his feet, aforementioned soreness forgotten.]

No... Not again! Not back here again!

[A soft, shuffling groan from somewhere deep within the darkness is his answer. Yes, Terra. Oh yes. The Darksides appear one at a time, drawing themselves up to their full heights. Terra can only stare at first, but finally the fear is replaced by a tired flicker of aggravation... or maybe that's determination. He holds his hand out as if to summon his Keyblade only to reconsider before the weapon appears. His fingers hurriedly search one of his hakama's pockets instead. His glare flicks from the orange charm he soon produces, up to the Darksides.]

If this is how it has to be...

[He holds the charm to his chest, closes his eyes tight, and waits. Trust. He's got to trust in that bond. He even thinks to smile, remembering the first time those flashes of light, those Keyblades, helped him out of a tight spot. He'll never again forget how much his friends mean to him or how much he means to his friends.

...

Anyone who happens to be walking down that corridor might find themselves being run into by a man who, despite his size, has been flung back through the doorway by the impact of one of the Darkside's attacks.]

[ooc: From

exmariascientia's AU. Spoilers hinted at under cut, comment spoilers.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You mean Riku?

[which cat are we talking about here, Sora doesn't know about any cats--]

Right. Riku.

[He doesn't? ... Whew.]

What about her? ...or him, where you're from, I guess.

... He's a she in your universe, too?

[That doesn't bode well. He's going to run into a woman version of himself someday and not know what to think.]

Did he- she ever mention seeing a Keyblade?

Everyone's different in my universe. And... no, she didn't.

[Though her mind drifts to when Riku took hers away in Hollow Bastion during the first ~adventure~...]

That is unusual then. For the Keyblade to have chosen you without ever having been introduced to your heart... I've never heard of that happening before.

[This isn't helping the fanguying thing at all.]

[whoops. too bad they don't know about that whole spoilery thing concerning Ven's heart, huh.]

Riku said something about how the door had opened... and Destiny Islands was being torn apart. She said she wasn't afraid of the darkness, and when I tried to reach for her, a bunch of darkness came out and I couldn't... next thing I know, the Keyblade appeared!

[A real shame indeed.]

What did you do?

What do you mean?

[what did she do to get the keyblade? what did she do about Riku? what?]

What did you do with the Keyblade when it appeared?

[He is more or less saying go on, tell me what happened next.]

Well, I went to the Secret Place... Kai was there, but then this door blew open and he got thrown toward me. I tried to catch him, but then he vanished, and I got blown out of there, too! And then I had to fight this huge Heartless, but even after I beat it, I still got sucked up into this weird black thing in the sky that was breaking the islands apart.

[careful, or she's going to start rambling.]

[Wow, some of that sounds terribly familiar. Weird black thing in the sky, islands breaking apart...]

A portal of some sort?

I dunno if I'd call it that... but I'm not sure how to describe it.

What happened when you were pulled into it? You obviously weren't destroyed.

I landed on another world. It was my first time going anywhere other than Destiny Islands.

That must have been rough.

It was, kinda. When I woke up in Traverse Town, Heartless kept following me. I found out later that it was because they were following the Keyblade.

So... You had to learn how to use the Keyblade on your own while being chased by monsters?

...pretty much! I mean, me and Riku had wooden swords back on the islands, and we sparred a lot, but that was really the only training I got before everything started happening.